Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolius

Ginseng has been
called the king of herbs, the root of heaven, and a wonder of the world.
Used in China, Korea, and India for several thousand years, Panax ginseng is probably the most famous medicinal herb to have come out of Asia. Its North American counterpart, Panax quinquefolius,
was discovered later but has similar effects and is prized almost as
highly. Ancient Indian texts speak of ginseng as a life-giving plant
with magical powers. Centuries ago, Koreans believed that ginseng’s
leaves gave off a glow on moonlit nights.

Ginseng hunters scanned the
woods for the eerie radiance and shot arrows toward its source to mark
the plant’s location so its valuable roots could be collected the next
day. Ginseng hunting was fraught with dangers, but the rewards were
great. As a result, wild ginseng in China had been harvested nearly to
extinction by the 1600s. The discovery of Panax quinquefolius
in North America in the early 1700s set off a ginseng rush. Many
pioneers made a living digging ginseng roots out of the damp soil of
eastern woodlands. Several early American entrepreneurs and explorers,
including John Jacob Astor and Daniel Boone, were involved in the
profitable ginseng trade, in which countless tons of American ginseng
were exported to Asia.

Therapeutic Uses

Tonic

Diabetes

Immune system function

Ginseng is perhaps the best known of the herbal tonics, or adaptogens, with
possible benefits for many different medical conditions. Adaptogens are
often used to help strengthen the body to resist disease or to recover
from illness. Each Panax species is a bit different; extracts
of roots of different ginsengs contain different phytochemicals and thus
have different effects. Laboratory research shows that extracts of both
the whole root and isolated compounds act as antioxidants, affect
immune system function, and combat inflammation.

Clinical research has been done mostly on Asian
ginseng. While Asian ginseng doesn’t control symptoms such as hot
flashes in menopausal women, preliminary results suggest that extracts
may improve quality of life and lessen fatigue and psychological
symptoms. For 36 people with type 2 non-insulin-dependent diabetes, both
100 and 200 mg of ginseng daily for 8 weeks helped with fasting glucose
levels. Only those taking the larger dose had improvements in
hemoglobin A1c tests, the standard tool for comparing blood sugar
levels. Studies show that both ginseng species reduce blood sugar levels
in people with type 2 diabetes.

Studies also show that American ginseng reduces blood
glucose levels in type 1 diabetics. Both species of ginseng enhance
immune function. In one study, a specific Asian ginseng extract boosted
immune response to the flu vaccine and reduced the number of colds.